Rafael Nadal says Carlos Alcaraz is like a car or mobile phone upgrade after bursting into the spotlight at Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal appreciates the days of him being the exciting Spanish wonderkid are far behind him as the new kid on the block, Carlos Alcaraz, continues to take all the headlines in the build up to the French Open. Nadal was beaten by his 19-year-old compatriot at the Madrid Open last week, before Alcaraz went on to see off Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev on his way to lifting the trophy. Ad/> The teenager has decided to sit out of the Italian Open in Rome, where Nadal is hoping to defend his title and win the tournament for the 11th time.

Roland-GarrosBest in the world, but is Alcaraz favourite for the French Open?4 HOURS AGO Despite not even being in famous old city, Alcaraz’s incredible form still has everyone talking, and Nadal admits it is time for an upgrade. «First, I think he is young, he is new and all the new things are much more interesting than older things. Without a doubt, when you see a new car, always looks better.

»When you see a new phone, always looks better than the old ones. So, it's something that is normal in this life. I can't complain at all about that.

At the same time, I am happy to have somebody like him from my country achieving all the things that he is achieving”, he said. Alcaraz will miss out on Rome due to an ankle injury — choosing to rest up to ensure he is ready to go when the next Grand Slam at Roland Garros kicks off. /> Nadal can sympathise, having just recovered from a rib injury which took him out of action for six weeks, while an ongoing foot issue continues to plague the 21-time major winner.

“Of course, at my age, when you start having more problems than what you can manage, of course it is tough. Body issues, pains, you can manage that. The problem is when you start to